1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a modular cabinet assembly for a computer, for example, a deskside personal computer, and in particular, to a modular enclosure which can be connected to other modular enclosures to change the size of a computer housing, and modular covers which can be used to cover the modular enclosure or enclosures.
2. Background Information
Cabinets are housings which contain, for example, various components of a computer. Generally, computers having low computational abilities (hereinafter low power computers) require smaller housings (i.e., cabinets) than computers having high computational abilities (hereinafter high power computers). This is because high power computers have more and/or larger circuit boards, such as memory riser boards and processor boards, to handle their increased memory and computational needs. High power computers also have larger cooling systems to dissipate the heat generated by the components located on the circuit boards. More space is thus needed to hold these components.
Typically, to provide this additional space, a design engineer would design a new and larger housing based only on the current design needs. This results in housings specifically tailored for respective specific computers, without regard to the housings used for other existing computer systems.
However, as will be appreciated, this results in a housing that is relatively expensive both to design and manufacture. For example, new manufacturing procedures and new tooling arrangements may be required for the new housing. Further, storage requirements are complicated, since each type of housing must be stored separately prior to use. Therefore, a need exists for a single housing design that can be easily manufactured and modified for use with different computer systems having different internal space requirements.
Generally, a computer housing has both an underlying enclosure, such as a frame, that contains the various circuit boards and other components, and an aesthetically pleasing external cover that is superposed over the enclosure.
For example, when a small computer housing is needed, typically a small enclosure is designed and manufactured, together with a cover specifically adapted for covering the small enclosure.
The underlying enclosure is typically provided to protect the circuit boards from being damaged, and to provide orderly support for the circuit boards so that the circuit boards are properly positioned relative to each other. Since a particular enclosure is usually designed for a specific computer configuration, resulting in an efficient use of design and manufacturing resources, a need exists for an enclosure that can be used for different computer configurations.
Generally speaking, such enclosures are not aesthetically pleasing. For example, the enclosure may be provided with various air passages to allow for a cooling air to pass therethrough, to cool the electrical components located within the enclosure. These air passages are generally located without regard to the aesthetic appearance of the enclosure.
Further, the enclosure may be provided with one or more sub-enclosures, each of which houses specific components (such as circuit boards) of the computer. These components are often interconnected, or connected to other components of the computer, using ribbon cables that may extend out from one sub-enclosure and to another sub-enclosure. This likewise may be considered aesthetically displeasing.
In order to conceal the various inner workings of the computer, the enclosure is usually provided with a cover, which when installed, gives the computer a finished look. The cover may be given a decorative appearance, using various design configurations, as is known in the art. As such, the computer (with cover installed) can be used in home or office settings, with the over allowing the computer to blend in with the decor of the home or office.
Covers also provide a barrier between the internal electrical components of the computer and the user. The cover prevents the user from inadvertently coming in contact with a high-temperature or high-powered component located within the enclosure, thus protecting the user from accidental injury.
Further, covers help protect the components located within the enclosure from environmental damage, such as dust or liquid contamination. For example, should a user inadvertently spill a glass of water on the computer, the cover will provide a barrier that will help prevent the water from coming in contact with the internal components.
Additionally, covers provide sound barriers that help to muffle any noise generated by the components within the computer. For example, cooling blowers or fans are often used within the computer frame to cool the high-powered components located within the computer. These cooling blowers tend to generate a substantial amount of noise, which may be annoying to the user of the computer or to others working in the vicinity of the computer. The cover helps to contain this noise.
Typically, the enclosure is a rectangular box-shaped frame (i.e., a parallelepiped), with the cover usually covering at least a front of the fame, two opposing sides of the fame, and a top of the fame. This amount of coverage has generally been deemed sufficient to give the computer the desired finished look, while providing an adequate barrier (both acoustical and physical) between the computer components and the user. The rear and the bottom of the enclosure may or may not include a respective cover.
The cover typically has a plurality of panels arranged at right angles to one another. The panels may be permanently connected to one another to form a unitary structure that slides over and is fastened to the frame. Alternatively, the cover may include one or more separate panels, each of which is separately fastened to the frame. Covers that have separate panels are often used for covering large frames, since a large, unitary cover is difficult to manufacture, store, and transport.
Typically, the covers are designed and manufactured to be used with specific enclosures. Thus, if a large enclosure is to be used, a large cover is likewise designed and made for covering the large enclosure. Since each new cover configuration requires a retooling of the manufacturing equipment, as well as extensive design planning on the part of the design engineer, a need exists for a cover than can be enlarged or reduced in size to fit over and cover different sizes of enclosures.